Denon AVR-X250BT vs Onkyo TX-SR343

Here we are comparing Denon AVR-X250BT to Onkyo TX-SR343 to reveal their common strengths and weaknesses as well as the differences between them which will help you in making a correct decision before the purchase. Both receivers have 5 channel amplifiers with Denon AVR-X250BT's being more powerful.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these receivers, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Denon AVR-X250BT over Onkyo TX-SR343.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Onkyo TX-SR343 over Denon AVR-X250BT.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Amplifier

• WRAT (Wide Range Amp Technology): Onkyo TX-SR343 features Onkyo’s Wide Range Amp Technology (WRAT) circuit layout that prevents phase shifting by pushing the roll-off point higher than the listening-level frequency. Amplifying sound without phase shift creates an uncommonly well-focused and realistic audio image. If phase shift occurs and signal timing is not accurate, then neither is the resulting audio image.

Speaker Configurations

Denon AVR-X250BT's and Onkyo TX-SR343's amplifiers can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

• Configurations: Available configurations are:
Denon AVR-X250BT: 5.1 with internal amplifier.
Onkyo TX-SR343: 5.1 with internal amplifier.

Sound Processing

• Compressed Music Enhancer: Denon AVR-X250BT and Onkyo TX-SR343 feature Compressed Music Enhancer which enhances the quality of the music files with lossy compression.
Advanced Music Optimizer: Compressed music enhancement in Onkyo TX-SR343 is done by Onkyo’s Advanced Music Optimizer. While MP3 or AAC files may sound fine through the headphones of your portable digital player, the limitations of these files can be exposed when played back through a quality home entertainment system. This is because a significant amount of high-frequency bit information is lost during the file-compression process. To counter this, Onkyo has designed the Advanced Music Optimizer to compensate for lost bit information and improve the quality of compressed audio signals. This results in a clearer and more expansive sound. Also included in this technology is a loudness correction feature that further improves the audio character of compressed files.

HDMI

Denon AVR-X250BT comes with 5 HDMI inputs. It has 1 output.

Onkyo TX-SR343 comes with 4 HDMI inputs. It has 1 output.

• 4K/60Hz Passthrough: On both receivers all inputs pass up to 4K 50/60Hz 4:4:4 video signal.
• Analog To HDMI Upconversion: Onkyo TX-SR343 supports analog to HDMI Upconversion, so you can input your analog video sources and output them digitally via HDMI. This means that you will need only one HDMI cable to connect to your TV.
• BT.2020 Color Space: BT.2020 or Rec. 2020 is a color standard which delivers a wider color gamut compared to Rec. 709. It covers approximately 75% of the total visual spectrum while the Rec. 709 covers only 35% (available on Denon AVR-X250BT only).
• HDCP 2.2.0 Copy Protection: Both receivers are HDCP 2.2.0 compliant which is a requirement for 4K/HDR copy-protected content transmission.
• 3D Ready: Both receivers are able to pass 3D video through HDMI.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Denon AVR-X250BT supports HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma.

Onkyo TX-SR343 does not support HDR.

High dynamic range video has greater dynamic range than standard dynamic range (SDR) video with brighter whites and deeper blacks. The result is greater contrast and more details in dark and bright areas, better color and depth.

• HDR10: HDR10 uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors. It is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits peak brightness, however common HDR10 contents are mastered with peak brightness from 1,000 to 4,000 nits.
• Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG): The Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) is a transfer function developed mainly for HDR live video feed and over-the-air broadcasts. It is an HDR format that uses BT.2020 color primaries and a bitdepth of 10-bit. It is backward compatible with the transfer function of SDR and is designed to be better-suited for television broadcasting, where the metadata required for other HDR formats is not backward compatible with non-HDR displays. HLG defines a non-linear optical-electro transfer function, in which the lower half of the signal values use a gamma curve and the upper half of the signal values use a logarithmic curve.

Audio

• Analog Line Inputs: There are 2 pair of line inputs on Denon AVR-X250BT and 7 pair of line inputs on Onkyo TX-SR343 for connecting sources with analog outputs.
• Digital Inputs: 2 optical inputs are available on Denon AVR-X250BT and 2 optical inputs and 1 coaxial input are available on Onkyo TX-SR343 for digital audio connections.
• Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel of each receiver.

Video

• HDMI:
Denon AVR-X250BT
Inputs: 5   Outputs: 1
8K Inputs: 0.
Onkyo TX-SR343
Inputs: 4   Outputs: 1
8K Inputs: 0.
• Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
Denon AVR-X250BT
Inputs: 2   Outputs: 1.
Onkyo TX-SR343
Inputs: 3   Outputs: 0.
• Component Video: Component video connection gives you the higher quality video compared to the composite video connection. So in case your old DVD player and other equipment do not have an HDMI output but have Component video output use this connection over the composite one. resolution on Component video connectors.
• Onkyo TX-SR343 supports up to 480i/576i resolution on Component video connectors.
Denon AVR-X250BT
Inputs: 0   Outputs: 0.
Onkyo TX-SR343
Inputs: 2   Outputs: 0.

Front A/V Inputs

• Denon AVR-X250BT: None
• Onkyo TX-SR343: Composite Video, RCA Audio

Denon AVR-X250BT

Onkyo TX-SR343